Fitting a family in 1000 Sq. Ft.
- Tara Miller
- Jan 17, 2017
- 4 min read
A few people have asked how I am planning to fit my family of four into 1000 Sq. Ft. (I know most people have thought this without putting voice to this thought). Well, the answer is simple and complex. Most people who ask as a knee jerk get the “really great design” as the answer. They don’t want to hear the details so they get a general answer. For those who really want to know I will break it down.
First, the answer is really great design but it was also months of planning, brainstorming and tossing out crazy ideas that were hatched at midnight and were given the old heave-ho by the light of day. I spent 6 months designing this house from the bottom up. Even my furniture has been planned. Because this house is small there is no room for extras, no room for “we’ll just move it in and find a place later”. Most of the furniture must serve multiple roles so I had to decide on it before we even broke ground. I virtually lived in each room so I could remember what stuff I had, what I want to do in each room and where I would store my stuff. Example: I want to have game night now that my girls are old enough to play. That means a table big enough for a board game and a place to keep that game and several others. So I designed a built-in bench in the dining area to keep our games. I especially lived in the kitchen to make sure there was enough counter space for all the baking and cooking I do and enough storage space for my tools to do it. Then, I enlarged the pantry because I bake a lot and enjoy canned foods.
First floor staged with a mix of existing furniture and new to make the space efficient for a family. The living room has tables that can be sat on, have storage and are small enough to move around as needed. The dining room can use the 2 chairs from the living room, has a storage bench and the table has storage and folds for parties. The front door swings to invite guest to hang up their coats and directs traffic better in the living room to allow for one more floor lamp with shelves. The stairs lift for seasonal storage.
Second floor staged with our furniture to divide the space, see what will fit and how best to use each piece, each space. The upper right corner is a door less closet that shares the light from the bedroom and shares a window plus it creates a media wall for the bedroom area. The loft will serve as sewing & craft area and office space. The walk between the loft and bedroom will be for sitting, reading and knitting.
Second, invest in built-ins. These are great for any house, especially small houses. Built-ins take a small amount of floor space by a wall that may or may not be used to the best of its ability and makes it 100% usable. You gain storage space and an elevated surface to place pictures, charging stations or to sit on for extra seating. A small 15” wide piece of floor which may have housed a plant stand or a pile of stuff can now store 3 times that with shelves and allows you to hide that pile and enjoy more plants. But mostly, built-ins allow you to hide what you don’t want seen in a way that blends in and makes your home appear stylish and organized.
Seriously, this railing only served to keep you from falling over the edge, but this bookcase stores toys, books and can hold your piping hot cup of joe for when you get cozy in your favorite chair. Same space, 100% more useful!
Third, Murphy beds. These flip-up, flip-down beds are going to save me. I have designed 2 Murphy beds in the downstairs bedroom. My girls will sleep in Murphy bunk beds which can fold up for more play space and we can store toy bins underneath when the beds are down. There will also be a queen guest bed which will also have a fold down desk that can fold out when the queen bed is folded up. This will be great for drawing or homework. Murphy beds allow me to place 3 beds in a space it should only fit one standard bed. We had to have a guest space since my In-Laws come up monthly to visit. When they are here the girls will sleep upstairs in our loft on ottomans that fold out into twin beds. I will also employ a Murphy style table between the kitchen and the laundry area to use as folding and ironing space. Since I do need all of this things but I don’t need them 100% of the time I can maximize space by folding them away to make room.
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